Melting the frost
by koolkatkoolkat123
Summary: There is a hostility between Frostclan and Fireclan, both clans are equally matched and the gatherings have become awkward. Medcine cats plead to Starclan for help but their ancestors have yet to reply. Can an agreement be made before both clans are destroyed. Will love triumph in the darkest hour.
1. Alleigences and Prologue

**Hello and welcome to my new fanfiction, I've only got this and an unfinished prologue at the moment so please bear with me. Please note reviews tend to inspire me**

**Full Summary**

There is a hostility between Frostclan and Fireclan, both clans are equally matched and the gatherings have become awkward. Medcine cats plead to Starclan for help but their ancestors have yet to reply. Can an agreement be made before both clans are destroyed. Will love triumph in the darkest hour

**Frostclan**

**Leader**

Redstar- A huge ginger tom cat with a long thin tail, his ears are rather large and he has yellow eyes. He has 7 lives left

**Deputy**

Wolfclaw-. A large grey striped tom cat with amber eyes, he has a large bushy tail and small ears.

_Apprentice: Whitepaw_

**Medicine cat**

Icefire- A small white she cat with a long thin tail and ice blue eyes.

_Apprentice: Crowpaw_

**Warriors**

Rippletail- A average slender light grey she cat with yellow eyes, her tail is long and thin and her ears are large.

Darkmoon- A dark grey she cat with blue eyes.

_Apprentice: Stormpaw_

Blackfire- A black tom cat with amber eyes.

Brambleberry- An average light tabby she cat with green eyes

Sunstrike- A large golden tabby tom cat with amber eyes.

_Apprentice: Nightpaw_

Fallenleaf- A small black and white she cat with a long thin white tipped tail and dark green eyes

Silverbrook- Handsome silver tabby tom with dark green eyes.

Daisyleaf- A white and brown she cat with yellow eyes

Roseheart- A dark red she cat with amber eyes

**Apprentices**

Stormpaw- She is a dark grey she cat with dark green eyes

Crowpaw - A smoky grey tom cat with amber eyes.

Nightpaw- A black tom cat with faint grey stripes and yellow eyes.

Whitepaw- A small short haired she cat with yellow eyes.

**Queens**

Frozenflame- A light grey she cat with amber eyes, expecting kits

Oceanfeather- Shes a silver striped she cat with blue eyes, expecting kits

Lightsoul- A pretty golden striped she cat with light blue eyes, expecting kits

**Elders**

Grasswhisker- A small ginger and white she cat with green eyes, shes going blind in one eye

**Fireclan**

Froststar- She has 5 lives left. A huge fluffy white she cat with green eyes

Foxheart- A huge ginger tom cat with amber eyes.

_Apprentice: Fawnpaw_

**Medicine cat**

Moonlily- A light silver striped tabby she cat with amber eyes

_Apprentice: Firepaw_

**Warriors**

Flowerpetal- A dark tabby she cat with blue eyes, she has a long fluffy tail

Appleleaf- A light ginger she cat with green eyes.

_Apprentice: Goldenpaw_

Brightflower- Small tortishell she cat with blue eyes.

Lightningstrike- Large dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes.

_Apprentice: Darkpaw_

Thunderstripes- Huge ginger tom cat with darker stripes and green eyes.

_Apprentice: Shadowpaw_

Badgerclaw- Black and white tom cat with green eyes

Mousetail- Small brown and white she cat with yellow eyes

Leaftalon- A large mottled brown tom with green eyes

**Apprentices**

Firepaw- Dark ginger she cat with violet eyes

Goldenpaw- Light ginger she cat with amber eyes

Fawnpaw- Brown and white tabby she cat with green eyes

Shadowpaw- Jet black tom cat with green eyes

Darkpaw- Jet black she cat with green eyes

**Queens**

Snowcloud- An average sized white fluffy she cat with yellow eyes, expecting kits

* * *

The Gathering

"For the last time Fireclan is not hunting on your territory" A large ginger cat said wearily, he was truly tired of all this fighting

"Then how do you explain the shortage of prey" The huge fluffy white cat hissed lashing her tail "And why should I just take your word for it Redstar" She added spitting at his name

"Froststar, leaf fall has just begun any elder will tell you that the amount of prey in a territory during that time decreases until new leaf" Redstar explained, he glanced at the Fireclan cats and sighed inwardly, they all looked murderous, only the gentle medicine cat Moonlily stayed out of this debate

"Enough" A she cat yowled silencing the other cats; they all looked at her in astonishment. The she cat climbed the gathering rock and stood in between the two leaders "Starclan is angry, see how they cover the moon"

"Icefire what do you think-"Redstar started but another yowl cut him off

"She's right, Icefire says Starclan is angry and they are, they cover the moon because a gathering is a time to share news not war" Moonlily spoke up walking boldly towards the front of the gathering "And now you cannot accuse Icefire of making it up to stop the gathering" She said staring into Froststars green eyes which were ablaze

"This gathering is over" Froststar hissed glaring at her medicine cat as she jumped down from the gathering rock. Moonlily paused and looked up at the younger medicine cat standing on the rock with her leader, she dipped her head to her then padded after her leader

Redstar stared at Icefire for a moment, deciding to have a talk with her tomorrow morning; he shook his head and led his clan home wondering what Froststar would have to say at the next gathering

As the patrol passed through the entrance to their camp a yowl rang out next to them. Redstar spun round to see the sentry for tonight yowling to the rest of the clan "Silverbrook what in Starclans name are you doing are you trying to wake the whole clan" He hissed. The tabby just gazed back at him sadly

"Not to wake them no but to tell them you're back" He said softly. Redstar stared as the rest of the clan emerged; he'd chosen to take as many cats as possible to the gathering to show Froststar their strength and numbers. The whole clan stared at him and he felt like they could burn him with their intense gaze. He sighed and leaped up to the leaders stump staring down at his cats

"Cats of Fireclan show no fear; Froststar has been silenced for now. I'm not going to lie and say we are safe now because she will be back and we must be ready but it seems Starclan is on our side do you agree Icefire?" He asked turning to the thin white she cat sitting by the medicine cat den with her apprentice

"I am uncertain Redstar, there have been no more signs but perhaps half moon will reveal something" She said looking around the clan of terrified cats, they were all looking to her hoping she'd say something to make it alright. Redstar felt guilty for calling on her with the whole clan watching but she was the medicine cat now

"Alright I want you all to go straight to your nests now and rest, Wolfclaw, Icefire see me in my den" Redstar said jumping down and heading into a small cave which worked as his den. He turned around to speak to his friend and adviser

"Wolfclaw I want you to set regular patrols, make sure every warrior gets the chance to rest and train the apprentices. If Frostclan decides to attack we need to be well rested and ready for them" Wolfclaw nodded and said nothing. Redstar turned to Icefire "You're certain there has been no word from Starclan?" He asked

Icefire looked at him oddly, after a while she sighed and shook her head "Starclan is silent, they refuse to speak to me or my apprentice. If I get anything from our ancestors you'll be the first to know" She said dipping her head. Redstar dismissed them with a flick of his tail, they left him to rest. He closed his eyes hoping to see something, anything


	2. The Beginning

Icefire tossed and turned in her sleep, in her dreams she was in the starry forest. She looked for her ancestors and mentor but there was no sign of their guides. She sighed and went to the Moon Falls, even though she was in Starclan she still felt close to them there. She stopped dead, her ice blue eyes widened in surprise. They were all by the Moon Falls staring down at the pool below

"Come young one" Her eyes brightened when she recognised her mentor Mistypool, the old she cat she had loved and respected now seemed to be Icefire's age and her pelt shone like the moon. She went to greet her but Mistypool gave a slight shake of her head. Icefire looked at her mentor confused; she padded over to stand next to her and stared down into the pool. She tilted her head as the waters rushed up suddenly towering over the cats of Starclan. She gaped up at the massive wall of water and sniffed the air, she could smell the acrid scent of smoke, she turned and gasped, the forest was on fire. The water left the pool and drowned the forest dousing the flames, when the last flame had been doused the water vanished and appeared back in the Moon Falls pool

"I don't understand, what was that?" Icefire mewed turning to her mentor

"Really Icefire have I taught you nothing" Mistypool growled playfully "I'm afraid this time you'll have to figure it out by yourself" She said gently, Icefire wailed as her dream began to fade

"Wait I need to know more" She hissed but when she opened her eyes she was back in the medicine cats den "I hate Starclan sometimes" She muttered glancing at the smoky grey cat curled up in the corner "Well maybe I don't have to be completely alone" She said quietly. She padded out the den and sighed heavily, it wasn't even sunrise yet. She needed to tell Redstar about her dream but she didn't want to wake him, as medicine cat she always encouraged a healthy sleep pattern and she didn't want to disturb that. She sat in front of her den curling her long thin tail around her paws; she tried to figure out her dream whilst she was waiting for the sun to come up

"Icefire? What are you doing up this early?" She turned and smiled at the deputy who'd woken up early to sort out the patrols, she'd always admired his dedication and maybe his pelt now and then

"I er had a dream" She mumbled. Wolfclaws eyes grew wide

"Really? Icefire that's great" He said, his eyes shining with excitement "Wait you are talking about a dream from Starclan not one that's the result of a bad mouse?" He asked. Icefire rolled her eyes

"Of course I'm talking about a dream from Starclan mouse brain" She hissed, Wolfclaw stepped back as a precaution. Icefire had a reputation for blowing up at any cat for no real reason

"Redstar should be awake by now" He said after a while guessing correctly why she was just sitting out here "I'll sort out the patrols then I'll join you by his den" He said. Icefire nodded, she went to the leaders den and paced outside it, Wolfclaw padded up beside her "You ready?" He asked, Icefire nodded and the two cats went in together

"Icefire, Wolfclaw nice to see you this morning. What can I do for you?" Redstar asked licking his paw

"I had a dream" Icefire said, Redstar's ears pricked up with interest he stopped grooming and stared intently at her, his yellow eyes wide. She realised he was waiting for her to continue "In my dream I was in the forest, I went to the Moon Falls, the forest was on fire, the water rose up from the pool and doused the flames" She said a little too quickly. Redstar looked thoughtful

"And what do you think it means?" He asked, Icefire sighed

"I don't know, I think it's a prophecy and I believe the fire represents Fireclan but I don't know what the water represents. This is the first sign from Starclan for moons" She added

"I think in this case we'll just have to wait and see" He murmured, he flicked his tail dismissing her and turned to Wolfclaw. Icefire dipped her head then backed out the den. She wanted to yowl her frustration to the sky, for once just once she wanted a sign from Starclan to be clear

Redstar sat in his den, his eyes closed as he thought about what Icefire told him. He had no doubts she was a gifted medicine cat and although she was young her connection to their ancestors was stronger than her mentors. He shook his head and decided to deal with that later. He walked out his den and purred as the wind ruffled his dark red fur. He padded over to the entrance where Wolfclaw was talking with his apprentice

"You ready?" He asked. Whitepaw nodded eagerly but her face turned serious when she noticed the leader behind them "Its alright Redstars just coming to see your progress" He said gently but that didn't do much to help her nerves. Redstar walked up to the apprentice

"I'm just here to see what level you're on, you don't have to show off for me" He said with a slight grin. Whitepaw nodded slowly then followed the older cats out of camp. They led her to the training grounds; Redstar sat well out of the way but close enough so he could see Whitepaw. He nodded in approval as the training session advanced; Whitepaw was a very bright young cat he could tell she was close to becoming a warrior despite her age

Suddenly Whitepaw's head jerked up and she hissed flattening her ears against her skull, the cause for the young apprentices distress burst out from the bushes. Redstar narrowed his yellow eyes

"What is the meaning of this" He snarled lashing his tail, 3 rather large and intimidating Fireclan warriors stood in front of them. Foxheart, deputy of Fireclan opened his mouth to speak but Lightningstrike beat him to it

"Froststar demands you meet her at the border to discuss things" He said completely oblivious to Foxheart's fury. Redstar bristled

"I do not have to do anything your leader tells me to, if she wishes to speak then she should wait for the gathering next moon" He growled "Now get off my territory" He hissed and faked a lunge at one. Foxheart gazed steadily back at him

"You can't avoid us forever Redstar" He said and turned away, he led the patrol back to Frostclan. Redstar growled, he glanced at Wolfclaw

"This is getting serious. Froststar wouldn't have been waiting for me with peace in mind and she won't be happy with my refusal" He said "Let's go back". Wolfclaw stepped forward looking worried, Redstar felt guilty again for burdening his deputy, he appreciated the work Wolfclaw did to make sure the borders were safe and the fresh kill was well stocked but there was only so much one cat could do

* * *

Back at camp Redstar spoke quietly with Wolfclaw "I'm sorry, this will over complicate things for you. Patrols need to be a suitable size and I don't think apprentices should be included unless their mentors think they are experienced enough" Wolfclaw didn't reply, he dipped his head and walked off to sort some things out

"I can scent blood, injured cats are approaching" Grasswhisker the elder suddenly said. Redstar whipped around and hissed orders to the first cat he laid eyes on

"Go fetch Icefire at once" He ordered his young niece Stormpaw. He ran to the entrance to get the details and was alarmed to see Brambleberry, Sunstrike, Rippletail, Daisyleaf and Nightpaw. The whole patrol was badly injured but he could see Daisyleaf was the worst. Blood was pouring out of her belly staining the floor below

"Out of my way" Icefire hissed shoving him out the way, he was rather surprised to be treated that way but he let it go, these cats needed a medicine cat not a leader right now. He watched pacing up and down as she treated the patrol, he couldn't stop his yellow gaze from straying to the plain tabby pelt that belonged to Brambleberry. After a while Icefire suddenly stopped and stepped back, her white fur was stained pink with Daisyleafs bloods, her apprentice Crowpaw sat next to her, his ears flat "I'm sorry Redstar" Icefire said softly

"What, what happened Icefire?" Redstar growled trying hard to keep the alarm out of his voice. Icefire moved to let him through; he walked past her and stopped dead. He felt unimaginable rage fill him, he snarled and leaped over the body of Daisyleaf and clawed his way up to the tree stump. He threw back his head and yowled

"Cats of Frostclan, Fireclan attacked one of our patrols with no reason and killed one of our warriors. They have declared war on us, and we are not going to let them win it" He snarled digging his claws into the bark "We must take precautions, apprentices are not to go out on patrols unless they are older than 10 moons, cats may only leave camp in parties of no less than 3 and no kits should leave camp. If these rules are broken there will be severe consequences" He growled looking out at his clan. He sighed and relaxed slightly "Now let us prepare for brave Daisyleafs vigil" He said softly looking down

He jumped down from the tree stump and went to visit the injured cats; he walked into the medicine cats den. He glanced briefly at his sister who was resting in the corner but he made a beeline for the plain tabby she cat "You alright?" He asked hating hearing that much anxiety

She blinked and looked up at him "I'm fine Redstar" She smiled softly at him, he sighed and nuzzled her cheek "Now why don't you go and see your sister" She suggested

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" He asked sounding a little playful

"No" She nudged him roughly and he chuckled

"Alright alright I'm going" He purred padding over to Rippletail who was watching them with an amused expression "How are you?"

"I'm fine Redstar compared to-"She broke off as she realised what she was about to say "I'm fine" She said quickly. Redstar nodded slowly but he found he couldn't talk to her like a sibling at the moment; he ducked his head in apology and walked out. He bumped into Icefire on the way out

"Icefire just the cat I wanted to see, do you think this attack has anything to do with your dream?" He asked. Icefire just shrugged

"I'm sorry Redstar I really don't know"


	3. New Life

Redstar sighed sadly as he gazed at Daisyleaf's limp body, he pressed his nose to the warriors fur and whispered "You were a brave cat, Starclan will be glad to have you" He said softly. He backed away from the body and let her closest friends and family share tongues with her for the last time. He noticed daisy leaves scattered around her in a circle and he smiled slightly.

He walked away and sat down next to Rippletail "What should I do" He said quietly. His sister looked up at him blinking her yellow eyes

"What do you mean?" She asked tilting her head

"What do I do, this isn't the first attack on our clan. Froststar wants to destroy us all" Redstar growled getting frustrated. Rippletail stroked his back with her tail tip, like their mother would have done if she was still alive

"Redstar I can't answer that" She said sounding apologetic "This is something you'll have to figure out on your own as our leader"

"I was afraid you'd say that" Redstar muttered and Rippletail smiled softly

"You'll figure it out" She murmured and walked off leaving Redstar to do just that

Redstar was fast asleep; his dreams were shrouded in darkness meaning nothing from Starclan tonight. He was woken by a shrill wailing and shot up out of his nest expecting to see Fireclan invading camp but everything looked the way he left it, he followed the noise and purred. It was coming from the nursery; he peeked in quickly and smiled. It was Oceanfeather; she was giving birth to her kits. He went to the warriors den and tip toed around the other cats until he got to the she cats mate

"Sunstrike" He mewed nudging him gently "Sunstrike wake up, you're going to be a father" The large golden tabby tom stirred and opened his amber eyes, wide awake

"Thanks Redstar" He said and dashed out the den stepping on some paws and tails including Wolfclaw

"What the?" The deputy growled jumping to his paws, he stopped as he noticed Redstar and dipped his head respectfully though Redstar could see he felt a little sheepish for over sleeping. He shook his head slightly at his friend, he left the warriors den but his whiskers twitched with amusement as he heard other more grumpy cats waking up before they wanted to. He padded up to Sunstrike who was sitting proudly, guarding the nursery entrance

"How is she?" He asked not risking another peek because he didn't want Icefire to make him see stars, again

"Icefire says this birth is very easy for Oceanfeather and she should be fine" Sunstrike purring, his eyes gleaming with excitement, Redstar was surprised to see his mood fade "But I'm worried Redstar, how will we keep all our kits safe at times like these" Redstar wanted to say something to assure him but he came up blank

"They'll be fine Sunstrike, we would do everything to keep them safe" He said after a while even though it was obvious and probably not at all reassuring. Icefire padded out the den, her eyes shining

"Come and see your kits Sunstrike" She said softly, Sunstrike went straight in and Redstar could hear him purring loud enough to wake the whole forest. Icefire sat next to Redstar and her purr joined the happy family's

"I'm surprised to see you so happy about new kits, I thought you'd be thinking about how they'll mess up your stores" Redstar joked and Icefire flicked his nose with her tail

"This is a good sign Redstar, new life so soon after a tragic death" She said softly, Redstar blinked in surprise

"But Froststar still won't give up" He sighed, Icefire looked at him and shook her head

"No she won't, but today I'm sure our ancestors are smiling down at the new family" She said and walked away into the medicine cat den

"Redstar?" He turned and immediately started to purr at the sight of his mate, he greeted her with a lick then twined their tails together "Can I talk to you?" She asked

"Of course" He purred

"I'm er, I'm expecting kits" She said quietly and Redstar's purrs died away. Brambleberry frowned and nudged him gently "That's not the reaction I was expecting" She said sounding concerned

"No no I am thrilled about it but" He broke off, Sunstrike's words kept repeating in his mind but he felt it best if he didn't repeat them to Brambleberry, he didn't want her to worry "But nothing it doesn't matter" Brambleberry didn't look satisfied with his answer but she couldn't force it out of him. She nuzzled his cheek then walked off to join the hunting patrol

* * *

"Redstar" That was new, he could actually hear his sisters Darkmoon's voice, she never talked to him but of course it was all business for her "I think Stormpaw's ready for her warrior assessment" She said

"I agree she's more than ready, have her assessment today and if you think she's ready we'll have her ceremony later" He said, Darkmoon looked shocked that he was agreeing with her which bemused him. He suspected she had a long list of things to persuade him but now she didn't need them. Darkmoon dipped her head then padded off to tell Stormpaw the good news. Redstar watched her go, he looked thoughtful. Maybe Icefire was right and new life was a good sign, they knew more was on the way and they had a possible warrior ceremony today. He was in such a good mood today he decided to join the border patrol

Redstar was confused; the patrol had gone right to the very edge of the territory and no sign of Fireclan cats waiting to ambush them, maybe today was their day off or something like that

"Do you hear that?" Rippletail asked, he pricked up his ears and frowned, he could hear screeching and then a distant wailing

"I think I found the missing Fireclan cats" He said grimly, he went to lead the patrol back out to help whoever was out there but there was no need as Darkmoon stumbled into camp half dragging Stormpaw. Rippletail took one glance at her kit and raced off to the medicine cat den

"We were attacked" Darkmoon gasped and put Stormpaw down on the ground as gently as she could. The apprentice's eyes were wide, like she was in shock

"Out of my way" Icefire growled nudging Redstar roughly. He glanced at his medicine cat noting her grumpy tones; she must have been trying to sleep when Rippletail came in

"What happened Darkmoon?" He asked his sister, she looked up at him, the shock of it all clear in her blue eyes

"Stormpaw was hunting, I was assessing her and then I noticed something behind her. I barely had enough time to react as two Fireclan cats, one warrior one apprentice, attacked her. She fought them off bravely" She added, her blue eyes held a glimmer of pride. Redstar couldn't believe what he'd just heard; he was shaking as he spoke

"That was a training session, they were hunting Stormpaw as if she were prey" He snarled in disgust, Rippletail looked up at him her eyes wide with horror then went back to fussing over her kit as Icefire treated her. Even Darkmoon looked appalled and disgusted, Redstar noticed her gaze strayed to the smoky grey apprentice by Icefire's side, her son Crowpaw, Redstar was surprised to see motherly affection in Darkmoon then, he knew that she wasn't keen on her kit

Icefire stepped back after a while and looked into the anxious mothers eyes "I've done all that I can but I believe she'll be fine. Her wounds were not that deep" She said gently. Rippletail nodded slowly

"Thank you" She breathed to Icefire and licked her daughter's fur careful not to touch the poultices that Icefire had applied. Redstar sighed sadly then stopped; he'd caught a trace of his mate's sweet scent

"I know now why you reacted that way this morning" Brambleberry said glancing at the mother and daughter in the clearing "You were worried about the world our kits would have to grow up in" She said softly and Redstar could see the concern in her green eyes. He sighed and nodded in answer "We'll figure that out when we come to it" She said and went to comfort Rippletail. Redstar padded up to sit next to Icefire

"New life huh" He growled. Icefire narrowed her blue eyes at him

"I stand by what I said Redstar, kits are a good sign. The next generation will make a difference" She said lifting her chin "Now if you'll excuse me I need a long nap" She said and went back to her den. Redstar's whiskers twitched slightly and he went to see Darkmoon. Stormpaw had recovered from the attack and was chatting happily away to her mother

"Do you think she's still ready to become a warrior?" He asked, Darkmoon only nodded "Then we'll have her ceremony later"

"Redstar?" He pricked up his ears and turned to see Wolfclaw "After what happened to Stormpaw I think we need to find another way to assess our apprentices. She was targeted because she looked like she was alone"

"I agree but I don't know how we're meant to assess their skills individually if they are all bunched up in one group" He murmured "Maybe we're just going to have to prepare them for something like this" Wolfclaw didn't look satisfied with his answer but he left it alone

* * *

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather at the tree stump for a clan meeting" Redstar announced, he gazed down at the blue grey she cat in front of him. Her green eyes shone with pride

"Darkmoon do you think Stormpaw is ready to become a warrior?" He turned to his sister

"Yes Redstar I do" Darkmoon answered with no hesitation

"I Redstar call upon our warrior ancestors to look down at this brave young apprentice, she has trained well in your noble code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Stormpaw do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend the clan even at the cost of your own life"

"I do" Stormpaw said, Redstar smiled slightly, he could hear her faint purr

"Then by the powers of Starclan I give you your warrior name, from this moment on you will be known as Stormtail. We welcome you as a full warrior of Frostclan" He finished and listened to the clan chat

"Stormtail, Stormtail, Stormtail"

**Please review, tell me what you like and if there's anything I need to do to improve it. Grammar doesn't matter to me as much as the actual fic. Reviews are my inspiration**


	4. Nothing there

**First of all I want to thank Robinpaw who reviewed the last chapter, the naming of Froststar and Frostclan was intentional because I'm mean and like to confuse people, hehehe**

**Second I do want reviews obviously but I would prefer to have some feedback, like what I could do to improve it and what parts you liked so I can continue them**

2 moons have passed

Tonight was the night of half moon and Redstar was worried. There had been a couple more attacks on patrols by Fireclan warriors and he was concerned about their medicine cat's journey. He even considered ordering Icefire and Crowpaw to stay in camp but he knew at times like these they needed their ancestors guidance more than ever

He watched the medicine cats prepare for their journey; he sighed and padded up to them "Icefire are you sure about this, Fireclan seem to have forgotten the code"

Icefire looked weary as she spoke to him "For the last time Redstar yes we're going. You saw how Moonlily acted at the gatherings; she hasn't turned from Starclan yet and you know we have to go" She said not looking at him as she sorted the packets of herbs. Redstar was a bit annoyed at her tone but he'd been asking her all day so he sort of deserved it

Icefire turned to look at Crowpaw "You ready?" The apprentice nodded slowly, she could see he was nervous "It's alright Crowpaw, its half moon we'll be fine" She assured him. She raised her head and gazed up at the sky "Come now or we'll be late" She said flicking him gently with her tail, she picked up her pack of herbs and led the way out of camp setting off on that familiar path to the Moon Falls

"Greetings Icefire and Crowpaw" She paused and smiled, Moonlily sat on a tree stump and her apprentice Firepaw sat below her

"Greetings Moonlily and Firepaw and how are you this fine evening?" She asked politely

"Well thank you" Icefire noticed that she didn't want to share much

"Is all well within your clan?" It was an innocent question but Moonlily glanced up at the moon

"We should hurry, it will be moon high soon" She said quickly jumping down. Icefire sighed heavily; she and Crowpaw travelled separately from the Fireclan medicine cats. They stashed their herbs in a hole in a tree before continuing on to the sacred Moon Falls

"Wait a moment" Icefire said as Moonlily prepared to speak with Starclan. The Fireclan medicine cat looked a little peeved but she dipped her head and waited for her to speak

"Crowpaw, is it your wish to enter into the mysteries of Starclan as a medicine cat?" Icefire asked looking at her apprentice

Crowpaw gaped at her "It is." He said after a while. Icefire tried not to sigh out loud, truthfully she didn't think he was ready but they had to prepare for the future

"Then come forward. Warriors of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. He has chosen the life of medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so that he may understand your ways and heal his Clan in accordance to your will." She glanced at Moonlily and then turned back to Crowpaw "Crowpaw from now on you will know as Crowheart" She finished and rested her head on his, he licked her shoulder

"We must speak with Starclan now, the night is drawing to a close" Moonlily piped up. Icefire glared at Moonlily, she nudged Crowheart to the Moonfall and the medicine cats drank from the pool. Icefire settled down away from Moonlily and her apprentice and waited until she fell into a deep enough sleep

She opened her eyes at the sound of birds and the sun on her fur, and then bolted up right her eyes wide with shock. She'd slept through the night and her ancestors hadn't sent her a dream. She looked at Moonlily as the she cat stirred "Did you see anything?" She asked anxiously, Moonlily rolled onto her paws and looked at her fellow medicine cat through narrowed amber eyes but she released her a few heartbeats later and looked away

"No Icefire I didn't there was nothing there" She sighed sounding and looking troubled "Have our ancestors abandoned us?" She said quietly. Icefire thought about her dream a few moons ago and was about to share it with Moonlily but held back, if Moonlily wasn't going to tell her anything then she would do the same. She looked up as Crowheart joined them, his amber eyes troubled. Icefire felt panicky, Redstar and the clan were expecting something, anything to reassure them and they had nothing. Icefire looked at Moonlily and dipped her head, she led her apprentice away

The pair walked in silence through the territories, Crowheart suddenly spoke up "What does this mean Icefire, why won't Starclan help us" He mewed tilting his head so he could gaze at the pinkish sky. Icefire said nothing, what could she say to reassure him when she couldn't reassure herself. She stopped suddenly and opened her mouth to say something but gave a surprised yowl as something flew at her "Icefire!" Crowheart cried. Icefire gasped as Lightningstrike pinned her down digging his claws into her shoulders

"Well well well what do we have here, a couple of Frostclan trespassers" Thunderstripes purred joining his brother

"Let us go, we are medicine cats. We have been granted special permission by Starclan to walk through here" Icefire hissed

"The way I see it, half moon is over. You're just like any other Frostclan scum now" Lightningstrike spat snarling in her face. He lifted a paw to do more damage than just a scratch but a red blur, Redstar, knocked him off her. Icefire scrambled backwards and moved to stand with Crowheart, Thunderstripes tried to stop them but Stormtail appeared out of nowhere and intercepted his lunge sending the two cats rolling down the hill hissing and scratching and snarling and biting at each other. Although the battle was even with Nightshade, Stormtail and Redstar facing Lightningstrike, Thunderstripes and Shadowpaw it was clear the Frostclan cats would win this battle

"Go back to your clan and tell Froststar to respect the warrior code" Redstar spat watching in satisfaction as they ran tails in-between their legs. He noticed his warriors licking blood from their claws and wounds and padded up to them "Well done you two" He praised feeling nothing but pride at the skills of his warriors, even young warriors. The pair purred and smiled at each other, Redstar noticed something pass between them, he turned to Icefire and Crowheart "Are you ok?" He asked concerned

Icefire looked a little shaken and it took her a while to reply "Fine Redstar, if you hadn't gotten here when you did I don't think" She broke off and shook her head

Redstar sighed and nudged both medicine cats in the direction of their own camp and territory "Let's go home"

When they reached camp a stampede of paws greeted them, Icefire found herself being bombarded with questions like what did Starclan say, where did you get that scratch, what should we do next. She pushed past them to move into her den to treat her wounds. She pricked up her ears as Redstar yowled for a clan meeting, she closed her eyes she knew exactly what Redstar was about to do

"Froststar has attacked our patrols with no reason, threatened us at gatherings and now she has attacked our medicine cats during half moon" He snarled, the clan looked shocked at this new development "I'm going to put a stop to this" Icefire blinked, he didn't say anything about bringing a patrol of cats with him from what she could see he was planning to meet with Froststar alone and 'persuade' her to stop. She moved to say something to stop him but Redstar had already gone. She stared at the camp entrance; this was only going to end badly

Redstar was full of so much rage; a red haze clouded his vision and judgement. The tiny rational part of his mind was telling him to turn back at once but a roar of fury drowned it out. He stopped at the border and yowled, to his surprise the medicine cat apprentice Firepaw appeared and peered at him nervously, he relaxed a little and tried to calm himself down

"Get Froststar and tell her to meet me here alone" He growled, Firepaw wasted no time she dashed off and left him to simmer. Redstar paced up and down that small stretch; to him it seemed Froststar was taking forever

"What do you want Redstar?" And there it was that bored look mixed with an arrogant smirk, Froststar had arrived

"I want you to leave my clan alone" He snarled lashing his tail. Froststar blinked innocently at him

"I will once your clan stops hunting on my territory" She said sitting down. Redstar narrowed his eyes

"That is just an excuse to attack us and you know it, let us live in peace once again" He added

"I don't think I can do that Redstar, my clan wants their payment in blood" She purred and moved to leave

"You mean you want your payment in blood, I know for a fact half your clan is on our side though they daren't show it for fear of you killing them merely for supporting us" Redstar growled, Froststar froze in her tracks and suddenly launched herself at Redstar. Redstar was taken completely by surprise so her first claw scored across his face narrowly missing his eye. He snarled in pain and bit deeply into her forepaw. He stopped suddenly as he felt an agony like no other, Froststar had somehow managed to claw his belly, and he could almost see the blood forming a puddle underneath him

"That's a warning Redstar" Froststar snarled and left him bleeding, Redstar gasped and dragged his battered body back to his clans territory. He leaned against a tree and sank to the ground, his vision was starting to get blurry and his head felt heavy. He struggled to stay awake but he knew all to well what happened next. He closed his eyes and opened them again to find himself in Starclan

"You've lost your 7th life" Shadetalon, his father and the deputy before him said. Redstar glanced at the space next to him, his ears flattened when he saw his own image staring sadly back at him "What are you doing Redstar, I didn't die for my clan so you could destroy it" He snarled lashing his tail

"Shadetalon how dare you speak to your son that way" Leaftail, his mother hissed at Shadetalon, she turned her gentle amber gaze on Redstar "You're doing well Redstar, we couldn't be more proud of you and your sisters" She said softly nudging Shadetalon roughly so he grunted an agreement

"Tell me what I'm supposed to do, please" Redstar begged but the forest was already fading, his parents turned their backs on him, he yowled "No wait please I need your help!"

**Phew that took longer than I expected, so please review and remember I prefer proper feedback but say nothing about grammar I have no interest in that unless there's something I really really need to add so it makes sense**


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